Cooked?
El Pollo Ranchero
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedOctober 29, 2020
- address4147 W 26Th St, Chicago 60623
Is El Pollo Ranchero clean?
El Pollo Ranchero is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on October 29, 2020. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at El Pollo Ranchero?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on October 29, 2020, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED NO HAND DRYING PROVISION AVAILABLE AT HANDWASHING SINK LOCATED IN (IN USE) FRONT PREP AREA. INSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN FOR PROPER HAND WASHING. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION.MANAGER PROVIDED PAPER TOWELS AT THIS TIME 7-38-030 (c). CITATION ISSUED.
- 🧊cold food not cold enoughProper Cold Holding Temperatures • OBSERVED APPROXIMATLEY 420 LBS OF OUT OF TEMPERATURE TIME/TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR SAFETY FOODS ( HOUSE MADE FRESH BLOOD SAUSAGE AND FRESH PRESSED PORK MEAT WITH FAT ATTACHED ALSO CALLED CHICHARRON PRENSADO STORED INSIDE OF REAR PREP AREA WALK IN COOLER DURING TIME OF INSPECTION. NOTED TEMPERATURE BETWEEN 53.0F- AND 65.0F. PERSON IN CHARGE VOLUNTARILY DISCARDED AND DENATURED ITEMS FOUND. TOTAL COST $2100. MUST HOLD ALL TCS FOOD ITEMS AT 41F AND BELOW AT ALL TIMES. PRIORITY VIOLATION. 7-38-005. CITATION ISSUED.
- ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST INSTALL WASHABLE SPLASHGUARD IN FRONT PREP ARE NEAR HANDSINK AND DRAINBOARD OF 3 COMPARTMENT SINK TO PREVENT MISCELLANEUS SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION. MUST MAINTAIN.Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • MUST INSTALL WASHABLE SPLASHGUARD IN FRONT PREP ARE NEAR HANDSINK AND DRAINBOARD OF 3 COMPARTMENT SINK TO PREVENT MISCELLANEUS SOURCES OF CONTAMINATION. MUST MAINTAIN.
When was El Pollo Ranchero last inspected?
El Pollo Ranchero has 14 inspections on record going back to May 7, 2013. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| March 9, 2022 | closed by the city | |
| October 29, 2020 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| April 18, 2019 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| June 7, 2018 | Pass | |
| June 1, 2018 | Fail | |
| May 31, 2018 | Fail | |
| August 1, 2017 | Pass | |
| July 24, 2017 | — | |
| July 14, 2017 | Fail | |
| June 16, 2016 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| September 16, 2015 | Pass | |
| November 19, 2014 | Pass |
El Pollo Ranchero vs South Lawndale
South Lawndale runs 64% clean across 668 tracked restaurants — 427 clean, 92 mid, 146 cooked.
Against the 668 spots Cooked tracks in South Lawndale, this one comes out cleaner than 27% of them.
Other spots in South Lawndale
How Chicago grades restaurants
Chicago does not use letter grades. Every inspection ends in one of three official results: Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. Pass with Conditions means violations were found but corrected on the spot or under a deadline — the restaurant is open, with homework. A Fail means serious violations went uncorrected, and it usually brings a re-inspection within days. Chicago also flags “priority” violations, the ones most likely to actually make someone sick. Cooked reads Pass as clean, Pass with Conditions as mid, and Fail as cooked, and shows the itemized violations behind each result.
Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated October 29, 2020. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.